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Caring for Creation

Published 2017-08-10

A new government draft report by the National Academy of Science not only shows the rapidly increasing effects of the changing climate, but it gives clear indications of how global warming will impact specific areas of the world.

Although we in KC won’t be affected by rising seas, or melting ice packs, our city is ranked as 5th as the area that will be most affected by global warming. The KC Water Department says, “Recent and projected increases in precipitation for Kansas City are substantial, with seasonal rainfall increases clear for both spring and fall…. These projected changes in temperature and precipitation extremes can be expected to increase demand for summertime cooling, degrade local air quality, and place additional stress on water supply systems, wastewater and storm water management systems, and flood control efforts.” In other words the high summer temperatures we have known and the recent local flooding are nothing compared to what my grandchildren will know as “normal.”

One problem is that the whole issue has become politicized. In our current highly polarized political environment its reality has become just another political talking point.

Another problem is that it is hard to tell from day to day that things are changing. At this point the increase is an average of a third of a degree increase in temperature and an additional half an inch of annual rainfall per decade. Such a small change is not only imperceptible but it also seems insignificant. However it is the cumulative effect of decades of increase that will lead by mid-century to devastating results.

It is like the famous example of boiling a frog. If you put a frog in scalding water it will jump out, but if you put a frog in cool water and slowly increase the temperature the frog won’t realize what’s happening until it is too late.

Maybe it begins for people of faith by remembering God’s good but fragile gift of the creation in Genesis 1 that is totally free but not without cost.